Celebrate Juneteenth in Las Cruces with these community events
Leah Romero
LAS CRUCES – Juneteenth is Monday and Las Cruces organizations have plans to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday recognized on June 19 annually. It recognizes the day enslaved black people in Texas were finally freed, over two years after the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified into law in 1863. The hundreds of thousands of enslaved people in Confederate-controlled Texas were not truly freed until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston Bay on June 19, 1865.
Various organizations throughout Las Cruces are hosting events over the federal holiday weekend to commemorate and celebrate the day. Here is a guide to what is planned.
Third Annual New Mexico Juneteenth Jazz Arts Festival
Las Cruces Museums is hosting the third annual New Mexico Juneteenth Jazz Arts Festival from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, June 16 at the Rio Grande Theatre, located at 211 N. Main St. The event is free and open to the public.
Music groups from the region will perform throughout the evening, including the Colin McAllister Group and the Billy Townes Group.
“This music is rooted in the traditions of improvisational expression, storytelling, and community, and has a rich history that has shaped our nation. This music is alive, and as it evolves, it continues to evolve us. Jazz history is Black history. Jazz History is American history,” said Derrick Lee, festival organizer and New Mexico Music Commissioner, in a news release.
Further weekend performances will be held from 10 a.m. to noon June 17 at the Branigan Cultural Center, located at 501 N. Main St.; from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. June 18 at the Associated Students of New Mexico State University Center for the Arts, located at 1000 E. University Ave.; and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 19 at the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall, located at 1075 N. Horseshoe St.
Guest speaker Roy Collins III at Las Cruces Museums
Branigan Cultural Center is hosting a presentation at noon Thursday, June 15 with Roy Collins III, general counsel and chief legal officer of NMSU. Collins will speak on the history of Juneteenth, the impact of the holiday and the importance of the era in history.
The presentation is part of the center’s “Pull Up a Chair” series and will kick off the weekend’s jazz arts festival.
According to a news release, Collins is originally from Galveston, Texas, is a published author and often speaks on topics such as intellectual property, technology transfer, electronic commerce, communications law, free speech, negotiation, contracts and diversity.
NMSU’s Black Programs 2023 Juneteenth Celebration
NMSU’s Black Programs is hosting its 2023 Juneteenth Celebration from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, June 16 at the Corbett Center Student Union outdoor stage, located at 1600 International Mall. The theme of the celebration is “Celebrating Freedom, Our Ancestor’s Courage, and the Persistent Fight for Equality!”
All are welcome to join for free food, music and yard games. Kona Ice will be on site as well as HD2 Hip Hop Studio and Las Cruces events DJ.
ASNMSU and The Men of Color Initiative celebration
ASNMSU and The Men of Color Initiative are partnering to host “Together We Stand! Together We Can” Juneteenth celebration. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 19 at the Corbett Center Student Union outdoor stage, people are invited to join singers, poets, musicians and dancers from across campus and the greater Las Cruces.
Juneteenth African dance workshop at NMSU
Community members of all ages and experience are welcome to join Soriba Fofana from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 19 in Rentfrow Hall, Room 103A for a dance workshop. According to a news release, Fofana will take people through the history of African dance with choreography and drums.
People are asked to wear comfortable clothes and shoes and to bring water to stay hydrated.
Rentfrow Hall is located at 3161 Williams Ave. on the NMSU main campus.
Juneteenth Block Party
DJ Tommy Black is hosting a Juneteenth Block Party from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on June 17 at Picacho Peak Brewing Co., located at 3900 W. Picacho Ave. Dorrough is headlining the party entertainment, along with The Party Boyz.
Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
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